Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge mall to have new name, banks considering financing

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Oak Ridge Village Area Rendering

 

Tim Sittema

Tim Sittema

The redeveloped Oak Ridge mall will have a new name, and local banks and credit unions are considering helping with project financing, executives said Tuesday.

The redeveloped mixed-use property will be known as Main Street—Oak Ridge, said Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina development firm that has been working with the city of Oak Ridge to redevelop the site, including through significant demolition and new construction. The name was chosen after long consideration of a new brand identity for the development, including involvement by Oak Ridge High School students.

“Most everyone we talked to in Oak Ridge was positive about creating a downtown destination for the community—something that says this place is the heart of the city,” said Crosland Southeast partner Tim Sittema. “The site already has Main Street running through it; so Main Street—Oak Ridge is the obvious choice.”

David Bradshaw

David Bradshaw

Construction is expected to begin in early 2015, with an opening anticipated in the third quarter of 2016, based upon completion of the financial arrangements.

In a press release, Crosland Southeast said a consortium of local financial institutions, led by CapitalMark Bank and Trust of Oak Ridge, is considering substantial involvement in the financing of the redevelopment “due to the transformative nature of this project in the city core.”

“In addition to our bank, ORNL Federal Credit Union and others have held discussions together about providing lending support to the mall project,” said David Bradshaw, executive vice president of CapitalMark. “Although details have not been finalized and commitments have not yet been made, there is very strong interest among our local banks and credit unions to be engaged in this important long-term investment in the Oak Ridge community.” [Read more…]

PTA-PTO Council has City Council, school board candidate forums

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David Bradshaw

David Bradshaw

The Oak Ridge parent-teacher associations and parent-teacher organizations have scheduled two candidate forums, which will focus on questions related to education.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education candidate forum will be held on Wednesday, October 1. The City Council candidate forum will be held on Wednesday, October 8.

Both forums will be held at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater from 6 to 7:30 p.m. In each case, there will be a candidate meet and greet at 5:30 pm, and visitors will also have a chance to directly 
speak with candidates from 7:30 to 8 p.m., a press release said.

For more information, contact moderator David Bradshaw at oakridgeschoolsptaptos@gmail.com.

Chamber forms Progress PAC, two Council members seek legal action

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Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

Note: This story was updated at 10:30 a.m.

Two Oak Ridge City Council members have requested a special meeting this week to consider litigation against the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, seeking to prevent the business organization from conducting political activities on public property, including through a new political action committee.

The special meeting, which would be open to the public, has been requested by Oak Ridge City Council members Trina Baughn and Anne Garcia Garland. Baughn said she requested the meeting to “vote upon initiating litigation against the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce so that the city may seek either injunctive relief and/or a temporary restraining order with regards to their conducting political activities on public property.”

Stephen Whitson

Stephen Whitson

On Friday, the Chamber announced it had formed a political action committee named the Progress PAC. The multi-candidate PAC will support candidates in the November elections for Oak Ridge Board of Education and City Council, a press release said.

Stephen Whitson of Oak Ridge has been elected Progress PAC chair, and David Bradshaw, also of Oak Ridge, has been named treasurer. Both are past chairs of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

In the press release, Whitson said the Progress PAC will only consider supporting candidates who respond to an issue-based written questionnaire and participate in an interview with Progress PAC members. [Read more…]

County mayor to host community forum on broadband Internet access

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Anderson County Terry Frank and Steve Heatherly

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, left, and Steve Heatherly, co-chairman of the Rural 6 organization’s Community/Government Relations Council, look over a map of Anderson County. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Government)

 

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank will host a community meeting to organize efforts to bring broadband Internet access to unserved areas in Anderson County.

The community meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 23, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Community Room at the Norris Community Building, located at 20 Chestnut Drive.

“As mayor, I want to continue to work on efforts to see people in our communities have access to the Internet,” Frank said in a press release. “Expanding access will expand educational opportunities and resources, will help attract more families to choose Anderson County as a place to live, and will increase our economic opportunities. [Read more…]

League, AAUW have registration events on Voter Registration Day

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge and the American Association of University Women, Oak Ridge Branch, will host National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 23.

“This major registration event will help people to register to vote or update their voter registration if they have moved or changed names,” a press release said.

The registration will be held at Oak Ridge High School, Clinton High School, and Anderson County High School during lunch periods. Roane State Community College registration will be held on both September 23 and 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration at this site will be open to the public.

“Voter registration is the front door to voting in U.S. elections,” the press release said. “Research has shown that the majority of eligible voters who register, turn out to vote. Oak Ridgers and Tennesseans have much at stake this year with our many community elections and with the proposed amendments to the Tennessee Constitution.” [Read more…]

AC Election Commission: 23 registration drives on Voter Registration Day

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Vote Logo

The Anderson County Election Commission will have 23 voter registration drives at 23 locations on Tuesday, September 23, as part of National Voter Registration Day. The goal is to register as many new voters as possible within a 23-hour period.

“It is our goal to provide every Anderson County resident with the opportunity to register to vote,” an Election Commission press release said. “We will be located in various parts of the county in schools, restaurants, and businesses, giving Anderson County residents the opportunity to be a part of the democratic process!” [Read more…]

Presidential museum, heritage tourism experts to be featured in AMSE meetings

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Alan Lowe

Alan Lowe

The director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas will be featured in a community meeting in October on the future of the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

During that Thursday, October 9 meeting, Alan Lowe will discuss the process of developing and managing facilities that function as both research libraries and historical museum attractions, a press release said.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located inside the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In his role as director, Lowe oversees millions of presidential records as well as exhibits related to the important issues and events of the Bush Administration, a press release said. [Read more…]

Guest column: Community officials make advances in preventing underage drinking

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By Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County

The Anderson County Underage Drinking Task Force is completing its first year of existence, one which proved to be quite productive.

The Task Force kicked off last September when it assembled key stakeholders from beer boards, law enforcement agencies, government officials, and businesses across different jurisdictions in Anderson County to identify barriers to compliance with underage drinking laws, with a focus on developing local solutions. Over the last year, the Task Force has worked to review alcohol policies of all jurisdictions in Anderson County.

As part of the review process, the Task Force identified a need for consistency throughout the county on alcohol regulations. Through collaborative dialogue, members discovered that many business owners have locations in two or even three different municipalities, each regulated by different rules. [Read more…]

Anderson County Tourism co-op program offers tourism-related funds

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The Anderson County Tourism Council Board of Directors will be offering the Co-op Program again this year. The purpose of the program is to provide funds to nonprofit tourism-related businesses and organizations in Anderson County to conduct tourism-related projects.

See this PDF for more information: Anderson County Co-op Program Details and Application.

Sewer rehab work continues week of Sept. 22

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More rehabilitation work of the city’s sewer collection pipes is scheduled to continue this week, starting Monday, September 22.

The work is being done by Hurst Excavating and Morgan Contracting under contract with the City of Oak Ridge. It includes rehabilitating sewer collection pipes within city easements in yards and in roadways, a press release said.

Residents should already have received color-coded letters and door hangers (orange for Hurst Excavating and purple for Morgan Contracting) providing general information and each contractors’ contact information.

Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are urged to use extra care and caution when traveling on the streets with sewer work areas, a press release said. Temporary road repairs will be made, and loose gravel should be expected until the patches are permanently paved. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge street resurfacing begins September 23

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The Oak Ridge Public Works Department plans to resurface the following city streets beginning Tuesday, September 23: [Read more…]

Today is Oak Ridge’s 72nd birthday

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Y-12 Calutron Operators

Women enriching uranium in calutrons at Y-12 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. (Photo by Ed Westcott)

 

It’s Oak Ridge’s birthday today, September 19.

Oak Ridge was picked for the top-secret Manhattan Project on September 19, 1942. That was the day 72 years ago when General Leslie Groves approved the acquisition of 59,000 acres of land along the Clinch River for what soon became the Manhattan Project, a federal effort to build the world’s first atomic bombs.

By the time President Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project on December 28, 1942, work on the East Tennessee site where the first production facilities were to be built was already under way.

Oak Ridge became the home of two uranium enrichment plants (K-25 and Y-12), a liquid thermal diffusion plant (S-50), and a pilot plutonium production reactor (X-10 Graphite Reactor). Groves approved Oak Ridge as the site for the pilot plutonium plant and the uranium enrichment plant in 1942. Manhattan Project engineers had to quickly build a town to accommodate 30,000 workers—as well as build the enormously complex plants. [Read more…]